The Irregular Libraryhttps://irregulib.wordpress.com
Thu, 22 Feb 2018 05:04:22 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Irregular Libraryhttps://irregulib.wordpress.com
All Good Things…https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/all-good-things/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/all-good-things/#commentsWed, 10 Dec 2014 02:11:09 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=231Continue reading →]]>This is a difficult task, wrapping up my internship. It does not seem like that long ago that I started. Perhaps the virtual aspect of it all takes away from the experience. I know I have spent many hours reading through posts from other libraries, librarians, publishers, etc. to find materials to share. However, it does not seem like work at all. Researching policies, diving into all the library online services to test them out & write blurbs for publication… that all seems like it was yesterday.

I recently stated, when wrapping up my ePortfolio, that the whole iSchool experience was the most challenging yet most rewarding experience I have been through in my life. This internship was part of all of that: offering challenges and rewards. I am happy in the choices I made that led me to this particular internship. While–after all the lessons and reflections on personality types, etc.–I feel I could have succeeded at other internships, this one just felt like a natural fit from the start. I hope I can bring everything I have learned from this into my career. I feel I am more prepared to take those scary next steps.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/all-good-things/feed/1noebrewingWhat’s in a Name?https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/whats-in-a-name/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/whats-in-a-name/#respondSun, 30 Nov 2014 21:37:27 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=229Continue reading →]]>As I am working on transitioning out of my internship, I have the opportunity to better define the internship role for my successor. One of the things I discussed was changing the title of the role from Social Media Intern to something that goes beyond social media and that really reflects the support role this intern will play for the OCLS librarians and staff.

While the majority of my work was focused on social media, we discovered that there were other responsibilities and needs for the position, and that the title was just too narrow to define these needs. One of the things I enjoyed was being able to teach a learning tutorial for distance learners. I would hope that future interns will be able to do this as well. Additionally, I can see the value in creating online tutorials for YouTube or perhaps adding LibGuides content.

So what will the name of this position be? I am still unsure of what I will suggest, but hopefully it will reflect well on the intern and the OCLS.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/whats-in-a-name/feed/0noebrewingMix-ups, Stalls, The Weather, and Other Hindranceshttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/mix-ups-stalls-the-weather-and-other-hindrances/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/mix-ups-stalls-the-weather-and-other-hindrances/#respondMon, 24 Nov 2014 05:25:45 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=227Continue reading →]]>As can be expected in every work place (especially virtual ones), you’ll come across a stretch of time where things just do not line up. The past couple weeks have been like that. My duties at my internship have been at the minimum amount of effort due to this cold I have been fighting off for weeks, the sleepless nights working on my ePortfolio, my supervisor being out of the office attending to her job duties, and the workload of my job.

That being said, my supervisor has been very understanding and supportive, especially where it comes to the time commitment of the ePort. Now that I have finished, we are ready to get back on track for the final few weeks of the internship. We will be meeting this week to discuss our collaboration on a journal article and for succession planning. I am excited about both of these topics. I have not had the experience of writing for a scholarly journal, so I am a bit frightened. However, I think that comes from a desire to do a good job, so that I will take a positive. For succession planning, I am looking through my old class lists and seeing if there is anyone who has not yet graduated who may be interested in this position. Additionally, since I am the first intern, I wish to develop an outline of basic job duties for future interns, as well as create a quick start guide so they can hit the ground running.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/mix-ups-stalls-the-weather-and-other-hindrances/feed/0noebrewingPartnering for Successhttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/partnering-for-success/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/partnering-for-success/#commentsMon, 10 Nov 2014 04:47:49 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=225Continue reading →]]>One of the great things about social media is that it’s, well, social. When you have a chance to cross-promote with another partner, I am realizing the importance of taking advantage of those opportunities.

The OCLS is part of a much larger organization (The University of Maine System), and as such is linked through the parent organization and all of the brothers, sisters, cousins, or however you may look at them. This means of of the University’s campuses, all of the libraries from those campuses, and all of their departments, faculty, etc. For weeks I have been building up the following for OCLS on Facebook, helping re-post articles and photos from other pages. The great thing is that this is not without reciprocation. The Universities put out e-newsletters, and the OCLS (as well as other services, departments, etc.) is given a small amount of space to “advertise” our services. So for the past couple weeks I have been creating little blurbs about our services for these publications.

It seems like such a small task to write 4 or 5 lines about such things as how to reach us for questions, using RefWorks, or how to narrow down a search. However, as I’ve seen with our Facebook posts, so much has to be crammed into such a short space in order to grab and hold the attention of the viewers. I hope my efforts prove to be a benefit to the OCLS. I just wish there was a way to track how many people will be reached through these blurbs.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/partnering-for-success/feed/1noebrewingNotes from Internet Librarianhttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/notes-from-internet-librarian/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/notes-from-internet-librarian/#commentsMon, 03 Nov 2014 05:19:58 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=221Continue reading →]]>This last week I had the opportunity to attend the Internet Librarian conference in Monterey. It was a great opportunity for networking and to absorb a lot of new ideas about the field I am studying. I also took this as an opportunity to gather information that could prove useful in my internship. While there were no sessions that seemed to specifically address my needs (there were sessions on using Twitter and for building better websites), I was able to find some interesting topics. Here is a list of sessions I attended:

Evolving Libraries Delivering New Experiences

Digitizing Local Content

Community Management, More than Libraries

Getting MOOC’ed: Free Online Training

Unifying UX: Consistency with Content

Gathering and Presenting User Input

Engaging Stories Info Blitz

Reaching Users with Mobile Technology

Building a 21st Century Library

Making Libraries, Making Makers

Academic Libraries: Totally Virtual & Hacked

I try to take in a variety of new experiences at conferences. I was somewhat disappointed at a couple of these sessions sounding less like case-studies and more like product placement. However, from these sessions, the keynote addresses, and networking with colleagues, I am still absorbing information. I think it can be safe to say that libraries that have a good vision of the future and a willingness to adopt technological advances are going to be the ones that see the most success.

This week I was able to conduct my instructional segment on peer-reviewed journals vs. magazines. The student workshop was conducted at one of the University College campuses, apparently in the far reaches of Maine. Only three students plus their instructor were able to show up; however, I think those that attended we able to learn a lot about some of the services offered by OCLS.

I have had little experience with instruction, so this was a great experience for me. [This week at Internet Librarian I will be attending one of the dine arounds where the subject matter is “Learning, Training & Instruction”]. Prior to my segment, the students participated in a bucket exercise in which three different buckets were used to represent a variety of search methods (Google, URSUS, and Academic Search Complete) and the typical results one might find from these searches. Because of the small group size, each of the students were given a bucket, and then asked to report on what they found.

It was helpful to be able to address each student and speak a little bit about why certain things are found via each of these searches. Finally, I was able to address how peer-reviewed journals differ from magazines. I chose this as the segment to do because during my undergrad work, no one had ever introduced this idea to me. I had no clue how helpful it would be to my research and towards building my researching skills, so I wanted to share. While I was a bit nervous going in, I am actually excited for the opportunity to be able to provide library instruction in the future.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/the-library-as-an-instructional-institution/feed/0noebrewing1901849_10204475796008615_7195239505221990910_nFinally… a followinghttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/finally-a-following/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/finally-a-following/#commentsMon, 20 Oct 2014 03:19:55 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=213Continue reading →]]>Sometimes, in order to be successful, you have to fail. I think it’s been said many times before, and in probably more eloquent ways; however, that’s the gist of it.

The first half of this semester and this internship has been filled mostly with ups, with a few downs here and there. However, one thing has haunted me to this point: the inability to gain new followers for the OCLS social media pages. This, after all, is my job. The number 32 would taunt me every time I logged into our Facebook page. Every time since I liked the page and became number follower number 32. Through a variety of posts, promotions, etc. I was still unable to gain a following.

Then I had an idea. Early on, I had started following key players in the library field. I think I have mentioned this before. Librarians, publishers, scholars, etc. I have been able to use some of this material in reposts just to build meaningful content. However, it did not produce followers (just more likes from those already following us). Then, in our meeting a couple weeks ago, I confessed to Shiva, my site supervisor, that perhaps I was not so in touch with the OCLS audience because of the wide geographical distance. We decided it would be beneficial for her to select some more organizations and people that she was aware of operating in the vicinity. Once that happened, I began reading their posts, liking articles, showing the OCLS presence. Lo and behold, a few of these people started following us as well, then a few more, and a few more. We have now increased our following over 50%. Hopefully there are more to come.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/finally-a-following/feed/1noebrewingA Job…https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/a-job/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/a-job/#respondMon, 13 Oct 2014 03:33:04 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=211Continue reading →]]>This week I will have to write a little less the work I am doing for my internship, and a bit about some of the skills I have learned during my time in the MLIS program, and in this short while as an intern.

Sometimes life throws you these weird little hints that someone is looking out for you. I returned from a stressful trip to Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, just in time to catch a presentation by my friend and SJSU alumna Elizabeth Borghi at the Library 2.014 online conference. Her presentation was titled LIS Skills Outside the Library which focused on how to market library skills in other career paths. I found her presentation touched on some things that I have experienced in my internship, mainly that as a library professional, we can expect to have to wear many different hats. Because our skill set translates well to other fields (“everyone needs a librarian”) we should remain open to all the opportunities that present themselves.

The following afternoon I had a job interview. This job I had originally applied for about six months ago; however the company was in such a need to hire extra help that they did not even have time or manpower to sit down and interview me at the time. Now a wholesale flower nursery does not seem like a place where library skills can be honed. Nor does the idea of being a salesman seem to be my dream job. Thinking about what I’ve learned, I decided to approach this with an open mind. What did I discover? This is a family owned nursery, doing things in a very old-fashioned way for decades. However, technology has finally forced their hand to upgrade their systems for ordering, billing, inventory, and customer interaction. I pitched myself as Social Media Intern. I focused my interview on the skills I could provide this company: the knowledge of how to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to provide customers with up-to-date images of items in the inventory. The ability to connect with users via Skype so that the cross-country communication could seem more personal. Also the ability to use these skills to follow trends in the marketplace so that key decisions could be made at a faster pace to keep up with the industry.

I guess all of that worked. The company is currently taking advantage of down time to upgrade their computers and office space. In a couple weeks I will begin this new job, and hopefully be able to show the flower industry just what a librarian can do.

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/a-job/feed/0noebrewingSome New Taskshttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/some-new-tasks/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/some-new-tasks/#commentsMon, 06 Oct 2014 02:56:34 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=209Continue reading →]]>This week my internship supervisor and I had a brief, but productive meeting. After taking a week off from checking in due to my supervisor’s schedule, it was nice to check back in. I have been exploring ways to improve our Facebook posts, however, this week I have been given access to our Twitter analytics, so I am looking into how to improve that. My supervisor and I have decided to look into various key players (publishers, authors, other libraries, innovators, etc) in our field and make sure we are following them on these social networks so that we can repost their information.

Also ahead, I have the opportunity to make up for a presentation that did not happen due to a Skype technical issue. I am looking forward to being able to complete this task. We are also coming up on faculty training at the end of the month. The University College requires faculty who are teaching online to go through this fast track program. In it, faculty will learn a lot about how to use the technology, as well as learn what the OCLS has to offer them. In the past there have been many questions regarding copyright laws in regards to online lessons. I am researching this some more (beyond what has already been provided) to hopefully create a more engaging learning program on the subject matter.

Also looking forward to Library 2.014 this week. I will hopefully be able to attend some of these presentations live; however there are a few relevant ones that I may have to listen to recordings of after the fact. I plan on reporting back to my supervisor regarding any information that may benefit our OCLS services (I believe the presentation about bridging library services between high school and college students will be worth while).

]]>https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/some-new-tasks/feed/1noebrewingReshaping How I Use Social Mediahttps://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/reshaping-how-i-use-social-media/
https://irregulib.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/reshaping-how-i-use-social-media/#respondMon, 29 Sep 2014 20:56:37 +0000http://irregulib.wordpress.com/?p=206Continue reading →]]>So we got through our Banned Books Week promotion. Social Media is an interesting little creature. If you’re not using it correctly, it can either be a huge waste of time, or it can come back and bite you. However, through my virtual internship, I am learning the little parts about how to use it in a professional manner.

Now most of my personal posts, tweets, etc. usually do not cross the line into the controversial or offensive. I may have had a few transgressions back in the day, but as I am reinventing myself into a professional, I give a great deal of thought to my social media dealings. Posting for an organization that I work for is not entirely new (I’ve done a few posts for previous restaurant jobs); however, I am seeing some new ways to go about what I do. I have started off a bit slowly, perhaps a bit boring and safe at first. Gradually, I have been reading up on techniques to build post reach. Leading off posts with “Check out…” (which is also a nice play on words for us library folk), or “Tell us what you think of…” really help to build engagement. Also, I am learning that hashtags are not as frivolous as I once believed, as I found out this weekend: